Sound-concentrator.



N0. 7|I,974. Patented Oct. 28, I902.

C. L. HYDE.

SOUND CONCENTRATOR.

(Application filed Doc. 19. 1901.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES LIVINGSTON IIYDE, OF TUXEDO PARK, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY

MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO IIUTCHISON ACOUSTIC COMPANY, A CORPORA- TION OFNEW JERSEY.

SOUND-CONCENTRATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 711,974, dated October28, 1902.

Application filed December 12, 1901. Serial No. 85,625. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern: degrees, and thus form a right angle withBe it known that I, CHARLES LIVINGSTON each other. Likewise in the formshown in HYDE, a citizen of the United States, residing Fig 2 thesemicircle formed by the curve of at Tuxedo Park, in the county ofOrange and the sides and cone have chords forming a 5 State of New York,haveinvented certain new right angle between them. Still further and 55and useful Improvements in Sound-Concenobvious modifications of the twoforms shown trators, of which the following is a full, clear, would beelongations of the straight cone and and exact description. sides ofFig. 1 until they met and the inter- This invention pertains to soundconcenruption of the middle portion of the semicirtrating and focusingapparatus designed to cle of Fig. 2 bya plane surface at right angles 60direct sound-waves to the most sensitive area to the axis, the generalobject being to proof a diaphragm capable of being vibrated videsurfaces which will deflect sound from thereby. the outer corners of theconcentrator radially The essential feature of my invention is a inwardand thence outward or backward subsubstantially cup-shaped body, intothe open stantially parallel to the axis. 65 end of which thesound-waves are adapted to The frame or case B isin the form of a thickenter, the bottom or inner end of such body disk of less diameter thanthe internal diamebeing shaped to reflect and concentrate the ter of theconcentrator and mounted concensound-waves and finally direct thembacktrically within the walls of the latter. As a ward along the axis ofthe cup-shaped body means of support in this position a number 70 untilthey strike the center of a vibrating diaof lugsb are used, into whichscrews 1), engagphragm mounted in the cup at right angles ing the wallsof the concentrator, pass. The to its axis. Certain other advantagesflow front of thecasehasacentralopeningb facing from the relativearrangement of the on p and the cone a, and im mediately back of theopendiaphragm, which will be referred to in the ing is a diaphragm b,the center of which is 75 more detailed description following. thusexposed to the sound-waves reflected In the accompanying drawings,Figures 1 backward from the cone. The partB may bea and 2 show insection alternative forms of mechanical or an electricaltelephone-transmy invention, and Figs. 3 and 4 plans of the mitter whichitis desired sound coming from same, respectively. a distance willactuate with the greatest force, to

The apparatus consists in general of two and in case the sound isproduced by speech parts, A the reflecting, concentrating, and with thegreatestclearness. Thetransmitteris focusing body, which may be referredto as placed inside of the concentrator for various the concentrator,and B the frame or casein reasons. It thereby restricts the entrance ofwhich the diaphragm is supported. The 0011- sound to the annular passageC, which con- 85 centrator is a cup-shaped structure having, veys it tothe inclined surfaces a and a, and

preferably, a cylindrical exterior and interior finally to thediaphragm. If sounds entered and whose depth is not of prime importance,along the axis of the concentrator, they would although a depth of aboutone-half its diabe deflected outward by the cone and inter- 0 meter isfound to give good results. The infere with those entering at the side.Hence 9o ner end or bottom of the cup is provided with by closing themiddle portion of the concenannular walls a, inclining inward andcutting trator these interfering portions of the sound oflf what wouldotherwise be a square corner are excluded. Again, by housing the teleatthe base of the cup. At the center of the phone inside of theconcentrator a compact bottom of the cup a cone a is formed, with singlestructure is obtained. It is not essen- 5 its apex lying in the axis ofthe cup and tial, however, that the telephone be located about in thesame plane with the beginning inside of the concentrator, since it mightbe of the inclined Walls a. When the incline of placed outside and thesound conveyed to it the wall 6L and that of the cone are straight, fromthe cone by means of a tube; but it as in Fig. 1, they are preferably atforty-five would then be preferable to close the middle portion of theconcentrator by a disk or block of some character.

In using this apparatus the open end is to be presented to the source ofsound, so that the Waves will enter as near direct as possible but byproperly proportioning the width of the passages through which the soundtravels the instrument will be efficient through a range of aboutforty-five degrees.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. A sound-concentrator,consisting of a cup-shaped body having an axial projection with inclinedsides on its bottom and an inclined surface around the edge of itsbottom and means whereby sound is first directed against the inclinedsides.

2. A sound-concentrator, consisting of a cup shaped body having internalinclined walls around its bottom, and a conical projection at the centerof its bottom and a shield forming an annular opening at the mouth ofthe cup, for the purpose set forth.

3. A sound-concentrator, consisting of a hollow cylinder, having one endclosed, an annular internal inclined surface around the edge oftheclosed end and adapted to deflect sound toward the center alongsubstantially radial lines, an internal projecting cone at the center ofsaid closed end and a disk of less diameter than the cylinder-andsupported in the open end thereof, for the purpose set forth.

4. A sound-concentrator, consisting of a cup-shaped body having an axialprojection with inclined sides on its bottom, and an inclined surfacearound the edge of its bottom, in combination with a shield closing themiddle'portion of the mouth of the cup-shaped body and forming anannular opening for the entrance of sound.

5. A sound-concentrator, consisting of a cup-shaped body having an axialprojection with inclined sides on its bottom, and an inclined surfacearound the edge of its bottom, in combination with a shield closing themiddle portion of the mouth of the cup-shaped body and forming anannular opening for the entrance of sound and a telephone-transmittercontained in said shield.

6. A sound-concentrator, consisting of a cup-shaped body having an axialprojection with inclined sides on its bottom, and an inclined surfacearound the edge of its bottom, in combination with a shield closing themiddle portion of the mouth of the cup-shaped body and forming anannular opening for entrance of sound, a telephone-transmitter containedin said shield and facing said projection.

7. An apparatus for concentrating and focusing sound,consisting of acup-shaped body having internal deflecting surfaces at its closed endtending to direct the incoming sounds first in a substantially radialdirection and then in an outward or backward direction.

8. The combination with a telephone-transmitter, of a sound-deflectorconsisting of a conical projection pointing toward the diaphragm of thetransmitter and means for directing sound laterally against the sides ofthe projection, substantially as described.

9. The combination with a telephone-transmitter, of a conical projectionpointing toward the diaphragm of the transmitter and an annular inclinedsurface surrounding the projection whereby sound proceeding from asource behind the transmitter will be concentrated, and directed towardthe front of the transmitter.

10. The combination with a sound-concentrator, in the form of -a cup,and having a central projection with inclined sides on itsbottom andannular inclined sides around the bottom adapted to deflect sound towardsaid central projection, of a telephone-transmitter located in the cupwith its diaphragm exposed to sounds deflected by the centralprojection, substantially as described.

11. A sound-concentrator, consisting of a cylinder having one end closedand the other end provided with an annular opening near the edge,deflecting internal surfaces adapted to direct the sound enteringtheannular opening backward along the axis, in combination with atelephone-transmitter located inside of the cylinder, substantially asdescribed.

In witness whereof I subscribe my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

CHARLES LIVINGSTON HYDE.

Witnesses:

FRANK S. OBER, WALDO M. OHAPIN.

